Comrades Marathon cancelled again due to Covid concerns

The annual Comrades Marathon has been called off for the second year in succession, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The race, celebrating its centenary this year, was scheduled to be held on June 13.

“The CMA Board is determined that the health, safety and welfare of Comrades runners, officials, volunteers and the general public remains paramount even after having held out hope that the nation’s most unifying road running event would have been able to be hosted in June,” said the Comrades Marathon Association.

“The impending third wave of Covid-19, which is widely anticipated around April to June this year, has ended any such hopes.”

The CMA Board has regrettably announced its decision to cancel the Comrades Marathon Centenary Race scheduled for 13 June 2021, owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. #ComradesMarathon @ComradesRace pic.twitter.com/sZ5rFLSM9r

— ComradesRace (@ComradesRace) February 10, 2021

Organisers said they would now hold the race’s centenary celebrations on May 24, and a virtual race would be held on June 13.

Aside from issues related to qualifying for the 90km ultra-marathon in KwaZulu-Natal, the CMA said it did not want to waste “precious resources” if the event was called off at the last minute.

ALSO READ: Two Oceans marathon cancelled for second year in a row

“Amidst intense and ongoing uncertainty with the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on mass gatherings and events, our runners’ interests remain uppermost in our minds and endeavours,” said CMA chairperson Cheryl Winn.

The Comrades Marathon, which was cancelled last year for the first time since World War II, was the second major South African road running event to be called off this season after organisers announced last week that the Two Oceans 56km race in Cape Town had been scratched.

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